Eyebrow tinting is a non-invasive way to enhance your brows in minutes. Get fuller-looking eyebrows without a brow pencil! You can easily tint your own brows with an at-home tint! It’s simple and takes way less time than traveling to a beauty salon. Not to mention the financial savings! In this post, I’ll cover all aspects of brow dye at home so you can determine whether eyebrow tinting at home is right for you.
Welcome to brow week here at Jenni Raincloud! I can’t go any further with brow posts until I tell you about brow tint to dye your brows! As I’ve said in past articles-brows rock my world! One thing I figured out early is that the more hair you have to work with, the better your shape will be! Hence my Eye Brow Serum post! This recipe works wonders and I’ve got the before and after to prove it. I just recently made an oops when waxing my brows and pulled out my brow serum roll on. Within 2 weeks, I had way more hair than before the brow wax!
Brow tinting is one of the best ways to achieve the perfect brow. It’s also the least invasive and easiest way to achieve gorgeous brows. Forget micro blading, brow tinting is where it’s at!
While I have dark hair, my eye brow hairs tends to be light and blonde. Dying brows is awesome for people like me and also for women trying to cover gray hairs. Fuller-looking brows are minutes away.
You might not know that I used to be an aesthetician. I gave facials and offered brow waxing and brow and eyelash tinting. When I worked on other people’s brows, I can’t tell you how many times a good brow shaping and tint would literally transforms someone’s face.
Brow tinting is one of those things you can go to a salon and have someone do for you but you’ll pay way too much. You can spend just as much money buying the developer and tint and be able to use it 20+ times! It’s a huge money and time saver. All you need are a few tips from a pro-I can call myself that because I used to do this for a living!
If you are unsure how dark you want your brows, starting with a light brown is a safer choice than dark brown dye especially if you have thicker brows. I will say, I look pretty harsh the first few days after tinting without my eye makeup on.
I would never be able to perfect my brow shape if it weren’t for brow tinting-it really is a game changer…..
**Since writing this post, Amazon no longer carriers Intensive brow tint. You can find it at Universal Companies but they stress their site is for professionals only. I believe you are able to checkout as a student but it is deceptive. However, there are many other options I have listed below.**
What You’ll Need to Tint Your Brows At Home:
- Brow Dye
- Developer
- Q-tips
- Mascara wands (optional)
- Mixing dish
- Cotton rounds
- Cleanser
How to Apply Brow Tint:
- Mix equal parts of brow dye and developer in a small bowl. Be aware, the tint will dye anything it touches.
- Apply to your brows in exactly the shape you would like your brows to be. I like to use a cotton swab, but many people prefer a mascara wand (find HERE) to remove excess dye. The tint will dye your skin so when the dye is applied in your desired shape, it can enhance your brow shape greatly! You can use vaseline or even chapstick to apply where you don’t want the color to ensure you don’t end up with too much dye on your skin.
- Leave on for 5-15 minutes. Make sure you check your brows often. The processing time can be different for everyone depending on the desired darkness. For the color I use (brown) you can tell from the pics that the dye develops to almost a black color. This does not mean my brows will be that dark at the time the dye develops. Because I like my brows really bold and dark, I leave the dye on for 10-15 minutes. For more natural-looking results, leave the tint on no more than 10 minutes.
- A lot of salons offer a double dye where they simply dye your brows 2x. It helps them to get darker and also helps the color last longer. I double dye mine from time to time. You can always determine whether you need to dye 2x after you take the first application off.
- Thoroughly remove with soap and water. If you don’t use soap, the dye can continue to darken-I know this from experience! I use a wet cotton pad and a foaming cleanser to remove the eyebrow dye from the brow area.
- You will most likely want to shape your brows soon after dying them-you might be surprised at how thick they look!
- I find that after about 2 days of washing my face morning and night, the dye lets up a bit and comes off my skin. *If your brows are too dark, the more you wash them, the faster they will fade.
Related Post: DIY Brow Gel
Brow Tint After Care:
After dying your brows, it is wise to condition your brows from time to time. If you are using a facial oil, extending it to the brows typically will do the trick, but using a face lotion isn’t enough. I recommend using castor oil to condition the brows 2-4 times a week. You can use a spoolie brush to apply it. Castor oil has been shown to help encourage hair growth so it’s a win-win! If you prefer not to encourage extra growth, vitamin e oil is also a great brow hair conditioner.
Be aware certain skin care products like a vitamin C serum or alpha-hydroxy acids will lighten the brows. Also sun exposure will as well.
At-Home Brow Tinting Alternatives:
I am in the process of trying new brow tints since Intensive Brow Tint is so hard to find. I can not speak from experience about most of these at-home brow tints but they are worth a mention and I will give these a go next time I’m out of dye.
- According to beauty editor Amber Katz from Glamour, using mustache dye is a great option for dying brows. It’s easy to find, affordable and meant for the face. It comes in several color options as well!
- Ardell Brow Tint-This semi-permanent dye is a powder and developer and easily found in most drugstores and Amazon. It is very affordable. It is peroxide and ammonia free. UPDATE: Tried this brand and found it incredibly hard to mix and the dye lasted about 4 days. I don’t recommend.
- Sania’s Brow Bar owner Sania Vucetaj recommends root touch-up kits for brow dyes such as L’Oréal Paris Root Rescue. Root touch up dyes offer a more targeted color applications. The dye portions are smaller and the tools they come with also work well on your brows.
- Henna Brow Tint is a more natural option with no ammonia or lead. It contains way less harsh chemicals. It comes in quite a few color options and is very affordable.
- Mina I-Brow Henna Tint has a ton of good reviews and comes in a ton of colors. This product boasts to strengthen, hydrate and encourage growth. It contains only natural ingredients and says it last up to 6 weeks.
- Wunder Brow Waterproof Eyebrow Gel-This tinted brow gel does not dye your brows but will stay on for 3 days. Even using soap will not budge this gel. With over 34,000 customer reviews, this brow product is a great option!
- Tattoo Peel Off Eyebrow Gel Tint-this semi-permanent color you paint on and allow to dry. Peel it off and enjoy tinted brows for up to 3 days.
There are a ton of at-home kits on Amazon. I will update this list as I try new brands.
A Word of Caution:
It is very unusual, but some people have allergic reactions to brow tint or their sensitive skin can be effected. If you are concerned, you can perform a patch test it on your arm 24 hours before applying it to your brows. Most likely if you aren’t sensitive to hair dye, you will be fine with brow tint.
Also, take extreme care when applying brow dye around the eyes. Trust me when I say, getting a brow or lash dye in your eyes is very painful! Make sure you dye is not too runny when you apply it!
A Few Other Brow Posts You Might Like:
Eyebrow tinting is one of the easiest salon services that you should DIY. Unless you are unsure about the shape your brows should be, at-home eyebrow tinting is a good idea if you are looking to save time and money-and who isn’t? Trust me when I say, it is so simple. Fuller brows are easily achieved and maintained by eyebrow tinting at home!
xx, Jenni
P.S. I offer my Big Brows Serum in my Etsy shop. It is incredibly effective and works fast. I even have before and afters to prove it. Go HERE if you’d like to try it instead of DIY it.
PIN IT!!!!
What are the ingredients in this? About how many applications to you get from one tube?
Thanks!
Jennifer-if you are trying to avoid chemicals on this one, you don’t want to know the ingredients. It’s definitely less toxic then hair color but it contains Aqua, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate. None of those are good, but this is something that I can not duplicate with my own creation and it’s something you have to figure out if it’s beneficial enough to what you want to accomplish with your brows. It is for me.
I get almost a years worth out of one tube and the developer lasts forever. I do mine 1 time a month. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the quick response! Yeah, I’m trying to avoid all of the toxic chemicals, but since I have decided to stop coloring my hair and embrace the gray (eek!), I’ll have to do my eyebrows myself. Gray hair is one thing, but gray eyebrows make me look perpetually surprised…not a good look. I wonder if henna or rosemary might be a solution?
I use the henna mix ALL THE TIME on my brows that I use on my hair! I put about a half a cup in a container in the freezer and re do my brows a couple times a month because it does wear off that fast, but it is a great alternative to the dyes. I usually terp my henna with tea tree oil, and I’ve just started using a castor oil/rosemary oil brow serum to regrow some over plucking as well. I do not have any grays (knock on wood) yet at 40 but my mother uses the same mix I do and it works well on hers to cover the gray. Hope that helps!
That’s so good to know-I have never tried henna but I really want to! Thanks so much for sharing!!
What do you mean by: “I usually “terp” my henna with tea tree oil”?
Hello!
This is so great! I love getting my brows tinted but it gets pricey! I have dark brown hair and my brows are essentially black. Will the natural brown color work? Do I just need to leave it on for a few extra minutes? Thanks!
Jess, Yes, the natural brown is what they are calling brown,the natural throws me off-the longer you leave it on the darker it will be. They do have a black but I have only used it on my lashes. It’s super easy and you’ll save a lot! Just be so careful to keep it off your skin as best you can-this brand really dyes the skin.
Thanks!!
I am so confused. Just got this from Amazon. It says on the tube “not to be used on brows or lashes, as blindness may result”. ???
Barbara-How weird! It’s specifically for brows and lashes! Is it from Refecto Cil?
Yes – I used your link! Anyways – I used it and it worked well and I will continue to use it – lol!
Barbara-I will too. That’s so strange-Not a great marketing strategy!
I wondered if it was something they legally had to put on the label.
Barbara-I see what you mean-it’s on my tube as well. I’m super confused-it’s specifically for brows and lashes so I can’t understand why it would be on their product! I will look more into this and possibly find another brand to suggest. I have used it for years on my brows. I have not done my lashes with this brand though. It does not drip or run so using it on the brows should be perfectly safe.
Oh I used it and I will continue to use it. Heck in the past I have used salon color on my brows. I can still see! I wouldn’t use anything on my lashes.
I just found your blog and I’m LOVING IT! Thank you so much for all the great posts!
Junipertree-Thank you so much!!
Hi! What do you use to tint your lashes? Ty
Oksana-I use THIS tint and THIS developer. Thanks!
Is there an update to this recipe? or can you recommend a different brand? The links your provided are pages that are no longer found on Amazon.
Karina-These links go out all the time-I don’t know why they keep changing! I just updated them. In the future-just look for the brand Intensive on Amazon or elsewhere. I’ve used other brands and they were OK but Intensive is my favorite.
Just tried it tonight. I love how my brows came out. Is there a time frame when we can dye again? When I’ve had my professionally done it only last a couple of weeks it that.
James-I’m so glad to hear this! It’s so easy that it seems crazy I ever paid someone to do it!
I have been using the “Hair for Men” Mustache and Beard dye. It is specifically for tough hair like brows. I have been using it for decades, as my lashes and brows began going naturally ‘blond’ decades ago, making me look like I have none. I’m 69 and my hair is still pretty dark, but I don’t plan to dye it anyway.
Recently I bought Henna, after asking a MRH clerk. (I live in Eugene where they have their warehouse and their storefront).
After I got home, noticed that their container also said not to be used on eyebrows or lashes.
I believe it is a disclaimer that have to put on it for legal reasons.
This has worked for me, but I may try your brand…Still wish I could find a natural product besides Henna…
Carol-Interesting-My brows and lashes go blonde as well. I haven’t tried henna but would like to. Where did you find it? My brand is not natural, I think henna would be better but I wonder about the red tint of it?
Yeah, I used the MRH Henna, twice, and it did absolutely NOTHING.
Thinking about trying to return it. Don’t know if it would work on hair and if such a small amount was the issue, but I won’t buy it again. I really wish they had the option to leave reviews on their products. I may email them and suggest it. Most of their products would get a HUGE 5* from me, but definitely NOT their Henna.
Carol-I bought the Henna as well and used it the last 2 times. The first time it didn’t do much but the 2nd time I did a double dye. Meaning I dyed once, removed it and then dyed again. It really worked so much better and got me much darker which is what I wanted. It is lasting a bit longer too. It was really great for about 5 days then it started to fade. I’m about 2 weeks past and I’m still enjoying decently dyed brows. It’s not as good as Intensive but the double dye did the trick.
As for the red tint, I guess there are combos for the color tints…just don’t get one that is all henna, that is the one that has red tints.
I’ve used Just for Men beard and mustache dye for years. Works great!
JoDee-That’s good to know. I’ve been trying a few of my suggestions and nothing compares to Intensive. I’ll have to try Just for Men!! Thanks for letting me know!
I loved this post, Jenni! Your tips on eyebrow tinting at home are super helpful. I was always intimidated to try it myself, but your step-by-step guide makes it seem so easy. Can’t wait to give it a go! Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome!
This post is so helpful, Jenni! I’ve always been intimidated by eyebrow tinting at home, but your step-by-step guide makes it seem so manageable. Can’t wait to try it out and achieve that pro look! Thanks for the tips!